In 2006, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) conducted the second General Social Survey (GSS), a multidimensional social survey which asked Australian adults (persons aged 18 years and over) a wide range of questions about their personal characteristics and the characteristics of their households. The aspects covered include:

family and community support

crime and safety

personal stressors

health and disability

transport

access to services

information technology

culture and leisure

housing

consumer debt

financial stress.

It should be noted that the data from the 2006 GSS may not be consistent with 2006 Census data released 27 June 2007 available on the ABS Website. Besides sampling error, which is inherent in survey data, discrepancies may also arise due to the differences in timing, instruments and methodologies between these two ABS data collections.

The table below makes selected comparisons for a range of Queensland characteristics between the 2002 GSS, the 2006 GSS, and the national 2006 GSS results. Caution should be exercised when making comparisons between the 2002 GSS and the 2006 GSS as some of the other data items may not be comparable due to changes between the two surveys, such as question wording or data breakdowns.

GENERAL SOCIAL SURVEY: Selected Characteristics

Queensland

Australia

2002

2006

2006

%

%

%

Personal characteristic

Able to get support in time of crisis from persons living outside the household

94.8

93.1

93.3

Had undertaken voluntary work(a)

35.7

37.8

34.1

Victim of physical or threatened violence(a)

11.0

13.5

10.8

Experienced at least one personal stressor(a)

58.7

64.4

59.4

Self-assessed health as excellent or very good

58.1

53.9

57.6

Has no disability or long-term health condition

57.9

55.6

60.4

Can easily get to the places needed

86.5

85.6

84.1

Accessed Internet at home(a)

41.0

60.6

59.6

Household characteristic

Owner with a mortgage

32.4

36.2

36.1

No consumer debt(b)

47.7

55.5

58.8

Unable to raise $2,000 within a week for something important(b)

15.2

11.6

13.1

Number of persons

All persons aged 18 years and over ('000)

2,703

2,956

15,307

(a) In the 12 months prior to being surveyed.(b) Information for some persons was not known or not adequately reported.Source: General Social Survey, Queensland, 2002 (cat. no. 4159.3.55.001); General Social Survey, Queensland, 2006 (cat. no. 4159.3.55.001); General Social Survey: Summary Results, Australia, 2006 (cat. no. 4159.0).

The remainder of this article focuses on the Queensland results from the 2006 GSS for the dimensions of Family and Community Support and Crime and Safety. More articles based on the results from the 2006 GSS will be released in future issues of Qld Stats (cat. no. 1318.3).

Relationships and networks are at the core of society and are essential to individual wellbeing. People are linked with family and friends, and in wider communities by shared interests, sympathies or living circumstances. Individuals may also form looser networks with people encountered through various activities and life situations.

The 2006 GSS found 17% of Queensland adults had daily face to face contact with family or friends who lived outside the household, and 76% reported having face to face contact in the week prior to being surveyed. Queenslanders aged 18–24 years had the highest proportion (81%) reporting face to face contact in the week prior to being surveyed, while those aged 45–54 years had the lowest (69%).

In 2006, 94% of Queensland parents were providing support to their own children aged 0–17 years living outside the household, and 59% were providing support to their own children aged 18–24 years living outside the household. The national proportions were less at 89% for parents of children aged 0–17 years and 56% for parents of children aged 18–24 years. More than a quarter (28%) of Queensland adults in 2006 provided support to relatives, other than their own or their partner's children aged under 25 years, who lived outside the household. This was the same as the national proportion.

ASKING FOR SMALL FAVOURS OR HELP IN A CRISIS, Queensland – 2006Source: General Social Survey, Queensland, 2006 (cat. no. 4159.3.55.001).

The 2006 GSS found 94% of Queensland adults born in Australia could ask for small favours from persons living outside the household, while those born in main English speaking countries, excluding Australia, recorded a higher proportion (97%). The proportion was lower (88%) for Queensland adults born in countries where English wasn't the main language but who could speak English proficiently, and lower again (81%) for those who weren't proficient in spoken English. When surveyed about being able to get support in a time of crisis from persons living outside the household, the pattern was similar with the respective proportions for these four groups at 94%, 94%, 89% and 78%.

In 2006, 96% of Queensland adults who reported their health status as excellent were able to get help from persons outside the household in a time of crisis, whereas only 80% of those who reported their health status as poor were able to get help.

The 2006 GSS recorded 87% of Queensland adults with a disability or long-term health condition, and a core activity restriction, reported they could get help from persons outside the household in a time of crisis, and 89% could ask for small favours from them. However, 96% of Queensland adults with no disability or long-term health condition reported they could ask for help from persons outside the household in a time of crisis, which was the same proportion that reported they could ask small favours from them.

In 2006, 38% of Queensland adults had undertaken voluntary work 12 months prior to being surveyed, up 2% on 2002. Across age groups, Queenslanders aged 35–44 years had the highest proportion who had undertaken voluntary work in both 2002 (44%) and 2006 (47%), while those aged 65 years and over had the lowest (27% respectively). Those aged 25–34 years had the largest increase, rising from 30% in 2002 to 39% in 2006.

In the 2006 GSS for Queensland, proportionally less women (83%) than men (95%) reported they felt safe or very safe at home alone after dark. This was the case for all age groups with the greatest difference between genders in the 18–24 years age group where the proportion for men was 95% and for women was 76%, the lowest for any age group of women. Men aged 35–44 years had the highest proportion (97%) who felt safe or very safe at home alone after dark, while those aged 45–54 years had the lowest (93%). However, this age group recorded the highest proportion for women (90%).

FELT SAFE/VERY SAFE WALKING ALONE IN LOCAL AREA AFTER DARK, Queensland – 2006

When surveyed for the 2006 GSS about feelings of safety while walking alone in their local area after dark, the differences between Queensland men and women who felt safe or very safe were marked across all age groups. The oldest age group, 65 years and over, had the lowest proportions for both men (37%) and women (13%), and the smallest difference (24%) between genders. The highest proportion for women (38%) was recorded for those aged 35–44 years, which was less than half the highest for men at 78% for those aged 18–24 years. This age group recorded the second lowest proportion for women (21%) and the largest difference (56%) between genders.

In contrast to the results about feelings of safety for Queensland men aged 18–24 years, the 2006 GSS also found this group had the highest proportion (43%) of any gender and age group who reported being a victim of physical or threatened violence in the twelve months prior to being surveyed. This was more than double the second highest proportion (20%) for women aged 18–24 years. The second youngest age group, 25–34 years, recorded the next highest proportions who were victims of physical or threatened violence for both women and men (18% respectively). All other age groups for women recorded proportions no greater than 10%, and only men aged 65 years and over recorded a proportion less than 10%.

The 2006 GSS found 12% of Queensland adults reported they'd been the victim of an actual or attempted break-in in the 12 months prior to being surveyed. Those living in inner regional areas recorded the lowest proportion (9%), followed by those living in major cities (12%), with Queensland adults living in other areas, excluding sparsely settled areas, recording the highest proportion (16%) who'd been the victim of an actual or attempted break-in.

When surveyed in 2006 about aspects of community trust, just over half (54%) of Queensland adults agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that most people could be trusted, while almost one third (32%) disagreed or strongly disagreed with it. When asked about trust in the police, more than three-quarters (77%) agreed or strongly agreed they could trust their local police, while less than one in ten (9%) disagreed or strongly disagreed. The GSS found trust in other police (i.e. not local police) was not as prominent with about two-thirds (66%) of Queensland adults agreeing or strongly agreeing they could be trusted.